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Rumblings last evening of a switch in assistants on Pablo’s staff? Burgundy Wave using unnamed sources report that John Spencer is leaving the Rapids, possibly headed to San Jose and that another former Rapids player will take on an assistant coaches position, in Conor Casey.

There are four questions in relation to the Rapids that come to mind as we head into the MLS season just days away.

Question #1 – Can the Rapids be the Leicester City of MLS this season? Meaning, can Pablo & Co be THE talk of the league, the top dog in the Supporter’s Shield race or even win the MLS Cup? Short answer, NO. Sure it’s possible and it would be great for the supporters and the league if the Rapids could pull off such a feat, but as long as Mastroeni is in charge, I dont see it happening. His substitution patterns are more times than not questionable at best. And he hasn’t grasped the idea of attacking football and how to implement it. The Rapids have hopes of a great season as the other 19 teams in MLS, but they will not be good enough to take the league by storm, though stranger things have happened.

Question #2 – Speaking of Mastroeni, he is no doubtedly on the hot seat coming this season. Does Pablo get the axe or does he make it through the whole season? How will he(Pablo) fare as 2016 rolls along? Will he be like Brendan Rogers (fired early season), Jose Mourinho (mid-season) or more like Louis Van Gaal, hanging on week in and week out throughout this season?

I strongly believe that if the Rapids get off to a bad start in March, April and maybe some into May that he is gone, adios, arrivederci, giving assistant coach John Spencer time to shape the team the way he wants especially before the pending arrival of Tim Howard in July. Though there is still nothing officially announced on this possible move.

Question #3 – Who will the Rapids miss the most this season Clint Irwin, Vicente Sanchez, Gaby Torres or Drew Moor? Quick answer without a doubt, Irwin, A LOT! Nothing against McMath, but you still have to prove to us that you’re capable in net. It’s gonna be difficult with a legendary Tim Howard looking over your shoulder even from as far away as Everton.

Next would be Sanchez. Many times last season he was the only spark offensively the Rapids had, the one player who could create and play 1v1 against opposing defenders, making him a fan favorite.

Question #4 – Can this season’s tandem of Doyle & Gashi be as good as the scoring duo of Conor Casey & Omar Cummings? Rapids fans can only hope so! We have yet to see much of Doyle and Gashi together on the pitch, but something tells me that if the midfield can move the ball forward and not create turnovers, this could be a special pair for the Rapids.

Those are just a few questions that came to mind for me as we head into the 2016 season starting in just 4 short days! Your thoughts? And what other questions do you have for this season?

The Rapids announced today the return of former striker John Spencer to the club in the capacity of 1st team assistant coach, full story here. One is to assume this is the offensive coordinator that Bravo and the RFO were referring to bringing in to help Pablo right after the collapse of the 2015 season, not to mention the second consecutive collapse.

I will give the RFO credit, Spencer has previous coaching experience as an assistant with the Dynamo and a manager of the Timbers. That’s more experience than current manager Mastroeni had before he became manager a week before the start of the 2014 campaign.

Some would even go as far to say that the hiring of Spencer is also seen as a brief look into the future as Pablo’s replacement should this season go as bad the last two seasons have, myself included. The transition would be easy, but would probably not be the best of choices, when and if that moment comes. Spencer was tough and fiery as a player, but that doesnt always transfer over into the coaching ranks, hence the clubs current situation the last 2 years under Mastroeni and also Spencer’s 2 and a half years in Portland as the head man.